 Siddhartha  Govinda  Buddha  Kamala  Vasudeva

 Main character  Intelligent and handsome  Raised as a Brahmin  Becomes a Samana for three years  Meets Kamala; discovers love and sin  Almost attempts suicide  Meets Ferryman and finds enlightenment

 Siddhartha’s childhood best friend  His “shadow”  Admires Siddhartha; becomes a Samana also.  Leaves Siddhartha to become a monk; he shadows Buddha now.  Tries to find his own way to enlightenment, but crosses paths with Siddhartha.

 “Illustrious One”  Founded Buddhism  Believes once one leaves behind desires, one will find enlightenment.  Has followers  Receives donations from the wealthy  Wants everyone to follow his teachings because they will be better off.

 Wealthy courtesan  Teaches Siddhartha about love  Exposes him to wealth, greed, lust (Samasara)  After she ages, she decides to follow the Buddha.  Births Siddhartha’s son and spoils him  Dies by rattlesnake bite  Happy that Siddhartha has found peace

 “The Ferryman”  Ferries Siddhartha across river into the life of Samasara  Twenty years after, encounters Siddhartha once again  Invites him to learn from the river  Enlightens Siddhartha  Dies peacefully in the woods  Declares that he has gone into the unity of all things, for death is a part of life’s cycle.

 Brahmin  Samana  Kamaswami  Siddhartha Jr.

 Highest title of a Hindu priest  Siddhartha’s father  Education is important  Meditates daily repeating “Om” which means god.

 Free of possessions and desires  Live in forest with almost no clothing  Fast, but beg for food in nearby towns  Have an increased connection to nature through meditating and imagining one’s self as a rock or bird or river etc.  Taught to control earthly desires and overpower any discomfort

 Wealthy merchant  Hires Siddhartha to work for him  Teaches him about money and work  Siddhartha believes working is a game, but Kamaswami exposes him to Samsara.  Siddhartha leaves him as a wealthy merchant.

 Parents: Siddhartha and Kamala  Raised by Kamala until her death  Spoiled, ignorant and stubborn  Spitting image of his father  Lives with Siddhartha for a while, then runs away towards the city  Siddhartha grieves, but realizes he left his father, too.

 Siddhartha leaves home as a Brahmin.  Sets off for a new life with Govinda  Becomes a Samana for three years  Learns incorrect way of thinking, and seeks Buddha’s teachings  Govinda is influenced and becomes a monk, finding his own way.  Siddhartha doesn’t want to reach enlightenment from teachings and leaves.

 Meets Kamala and Kamaswami and is exposed to Samsara (life with greed, lust, love, and wealth)  Unhappy with life as a wealthy merchant, he attempts suicide.  Saved by the holy “Om” near the river  Encounters Govinda and decides to start a new life  Stays with Vasudeva and learns from the river  He learns how to listen and realizes the world is a continuous cycle

 Kamala dies, leaving Siddhartha his long, lost son  His son flees from Siddhartha’s boring life  Siddhartha is heartbroken and wishes to find his son  Vasudeva convinces him that it is a part of life’s cycle  Siddhartha realizes he did the same when he left his father.  He reaches enlightenment from the river  Vasudeva peacefully dies in the forest, becoming a part of the unity of life  Siddhartha becomes the ferryman and helps Govinda reach enlightenment.

 One must find his or her own place in the world  He or she cannot find it without help  There will be many experiences in one’s life  One must find his or her inner “Self”  Mistakes help one learn and grow  The world is a continuous cycle